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Time for a fear break: according to WatchGuard security researchers, the fastest growing threat to corporate networks is Web-based social media applications. These can compromise network security, expose sensitive data, and create productivity drains on employees.

The most risky Web applications, says WatchGuard, are these: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, 4chan, and Chatroulette. Facebook, it says, is the most dangerous social media site today, largely because it's so popular. With over 500 million users, it's a fertile attack area for hackers. Twitter is dangerous because people can use URL shorteners to disguise malicious links. As for YouTube, hackers often create malicious pages that masquerade as YouTube video pages.

Troy Dreier is a technology writer and editor based in Jersey City, NJ. He’s the editor of OnlineVideo.net, senior associate editor for StreamingMedia.com, and a former staff editor for PC Magazine. He’s @tdreier on Twitter.
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